Trooper of the Year is honored for actions in Watertown

State Trooper Christopher Dumont of Acushnet was honored at the Statehouse May 21 for being named the national Trooper of the Year for 2014 by the American Association of State Troopers.

ACUSHNET — State Trooper Christopher Dumont of Acushnet was honored at the Statehouse May 21 for being named the national Trooper of the Year for 2014 by the American Association of State Troopers.

Rep. Robert Koczera, who presented the citation, said, "I am proud to recognize Chris Dumont for his heroic action in responding to a shootout with Boston Marathon Bombing suspects in Watertown on April 18, 2013, and helping to save the life of MBTA Officer Richard Donohue, who was shot during the shootout."

Dumont, 36, received the award at a Statehouse ceremony honoring heroic actions by Massachusetts law enforcement officers. He received the Trooper of the Year award from Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant John Bagnardi, chairman of the American Association of State Troopers' selection committee.

Dumont was also awarded the Massachusetts State Police Medal of Honor, its highest award, and was one of several recipients from around the nation of the TOP COPs award presented by President Obama at the White House last month.

According to the American Association of State Troopers, Dumont, 36, was honored for "helping save the life of an officer who was wounded during the Watertown shootout with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects last year."

The association said, "Dumont was working a security detail at Logan International Airport in Boston on April 18, 2013, for President Barack Obama's visit following the marathon bombings. That evening, after authorities released images of two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Officer Sean Collier was shot and killed on the school's Cambridge campus.

"Dumont immediately drove to the scene of the shooting where he assisted with securing the scene and searching for evidence. A short time later, authorities became aware that two suspects in Officer Collier's murder had fled the area in a stolen SUV that they had carjacked. "

The associaton said Dumont left for Watertown to help search for the vehicle. At the time, he was unaware that it was being tracked by GPS. After the vehicle was observed by a Watertown police officer, the two suspects began shooting at him.

Dumont responded to the call for 'shots fired' and arrived on scene quickly as the suspects began throwing Improvised Explosive Devices.

The association said, "The gun battle would last over five minutes with over 270 rounds being fired. Dumont returned gunfire and directed other officers to establish a perimeter to contain the suspects."

The two would later be identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

According to police reports at the time, as one brother was wounded and lay dying, the younger brother fled the scene in the SUV.

"As Dumont prepared to give chase, he became aware that Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police Officer Richard Donohue had been shot and was lying in a nearby driveway."

Donohue, 33, had been shot in the right leg, which severed his femoral artery. "Police officers from several departments had immediately come to Donohue's aid, but they were unable to control the bleeding. Dumont, a certified paramedic, found Donohue in cardiac arrest and lying in a large pool of blood.

"As officers performed CPR, Dumont immediately recognized that Donohue had lost most of his blood volume and that only blood transfusions and surgery would allow him to survive. Upon the arrival of the Watertown Fire Department ambulance, Dumont and other officers quickly loaded Donohue aboard. "

Dumont joined the two Watertown EMTs and continued to treat Donohue in the ambulance as a Watertown police officer drove to nearby Mt. Auburn Hospital.

"The rapid transport of Donohue to the closest hospital would deliver him to the emergency room only 10 minutes after he had been shot, providing hospital staff the opportunity to save his life."

Donohue would quickly deplete the hospital's blood supply, using 46 blood products in total. As police officers rushed additional blood into the hospital from other facilities, doctors were able to establish a heartbeat after nearly 40 minutes of Donohue being clinically dead.

Donohue would regain consciousness days later and he has since appeared with Dumont at several awards ceremonies across the state. "His recovery is unprecedented," the association said.

Among other awards, Dumont was presented the Medal of Honor, MSP's highest award.

"We all realized after the fact that any of us could have been Richard Donohue," Dumont said.

Koczera had Dumont and his family introduced during the session of the House of Representatives.